Sitemap Check

The sitemap check validates whether your website has a proper sitemap.xml file that helps search engines discover and index your content.

What this check validates

• ✅ Sitemap exists at /sitemap.xml
• ✅ Valid XML format - No syntax errors
• ✅ Contains valid URLs - All URLs are accessible
• ✅ Proper structure - Follows XML sitemap protocol

Why sitemaps matter

• Helps search engines find your pages
• New pages get indexed faster
• Improves SEO visibility

What a sitemap looks like

A basic XML sitemap structure:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
  <url>
    <loc>https://yoursite.com/</loc>
    <lastmod>2024-01-01</lastmod>
    <priority>1.0</priority>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://yoursite.com/about</loc>
    <lastmod>2024-01-01</lastmod>
    <priority>0.8</priority>
  </url>
</urlset>

Common issues

• Missing Sitemap: no sitemap.xml file found at the root domain
• Invalid XML: syntax errors that prevent search engines from parsing
• Broken URLs: links to pages that return 404 errors
• Outdated Content: URLs that no longer exist on the website